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Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Butterfly Song single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 2005... 2005 Butterfly Song
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Tarena Shaw has just finished her Law degree but isn't sure if she wants to be a lawyer after all. What place does a black lawyer have in a white system? Does everyone in Sydney feel like a turtle without a shell? Drawn to Thursday Island, the home of her grandparents, Tarena is persuaded by her family to take on her first case. Part of the evidence is a man with a guitar and a very special song... Butterfly Song moves from the pearling days in the Torres Strait to the ebb and flow of big city life, with a warm and funny modern heroine whose story reaches across cultures.

Source: Author's website.

Exhibitions

12912324
15608234
17492990
11562036
14142596
18160746
18005706
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19567105

Notes

  • Dedication: To my mother, Joanna Jaima: from a mother's song a child finds her own voice. And in memory of my grandparents, Modesta and Kitchell.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Camberwell, Camberwell - Kew area, Melbourne - Inner South, Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2005 .
      image of person or book cover 5403834204446261046.png
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 291p.
      ISBN: 0143002627, 9780143002628
Alternative title: La Chanson du papillon : roman
Language: French

Other Formats

Works about this Work

Making Space for Torres Strait Islander Expression Rhianna Patrick , 2021 single work essay
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , March 2021;

'Growing up on mainland Australia, I’ve struggled to find places where Torres Strait Islander stories are being told. I want to respectfully advocate for Torres Strait Islanders while acknowledging whose land I live on.'

The Literary Transformation of Memory Across Generations Noela McNamara , 2013 single work criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 2 2013; (p. 230-238)

'Artistic and cultural representations of space, place, memory, and belonging are some of the fundamental aspects of fictional narratives. This paper focuses on how the tropics evolve as a place of belonging in Terri Janke’s Butterfly song through literary transformation of generational memories of personal and family experiences combined with historical fact. The notion of the tropics as ‘different’ is examined through complex relationships between the place where the protagonist, Tarena Shaw, lives in Sydney;

the place that she calls home, Cairns; and the place of her ancestors, Thursday Island in the Torres Straits. Layers of memory unfold through family stories revisited in the context of contemporary cultural life to ensure the return of a pearl brooch lost for nearly forty years. Components of culture, a love story, a connection of things to ancestors and people, and the history of the Torres Straits and Cairns are the foci of Janke’s novel. These features demonstrate how multiple perspectives of place and memory can

enrich the literary imagination and in turn, enlighten Australian readers to the historical past and present life of tropical North Queensland. ' (Publication abstact)

Towards an Australian 'Voice' Tony Smith , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 16 May vol. 16 no. 4 2006;

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel ; Behind the Moon Hsu-Ming Teo , 2005 single work novel
Untitled Nicola Williams , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Spring vol. 13 no. 3 2005; (p. 44-45)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
Untitled Bernadette Brennan , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 4 no. 2005; (p. 222-224)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
Paperbacks Ian McFarlane , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Canberra Sunday Times , 2 January 2005; (p. 19)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
All There in Black and White Natasha Cica , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 19-20 February 2005; (p. 14)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
Facing Evil Head-On Katharine England , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 26 February 2005; (p. 9)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel ; Winter Journey : A Novel Diane Armstrong , 2005 single work novel
The Gathering Spirit Thuy On , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 269 2005; (p. 39)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
A Butterfly's Song Echoes Through Time Merryon Ryall , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 19 - 20 March 2005; (p. 7)

— Review of Butterfly Song Terri Janke , 2005 single work novel
Defender of Legends Brigid Delaney , 2005 single work biography
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12-13 February 2005; (p. 12)
Lawyer Courts Literary Fame Khi-Lee Thorpe , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 23 February no. 345 2005; (p. 34)
The Literary Transformation of Memory Across Generations Noela McNamara , 2013 single work criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 2 2013; (p. 230-238)

'Artistic and cultural representations of space, place, memory, and belonging are some of the fundamental aspects of fictional narratives. This paper focuses on how the tropics evolve as a place of belonging in Terri Janke’s Butterfly song through literary transformation of generational memories of personal and family experiences combined with historical fact. The notion of the tropics as ‘different’ is examined through complex relationships between the place where the protagonist, Tarena Shaw, lives in Sydney;

the place that she calls home, Cairns; and the place of her ancestors, Thursday Island in the Torres Straits. Layers of memory unfold through family stories revisited in the context of contemporary cultural life to ensure the return of a pearl brooch lost for nearly forty years. Components of culture, a love story, a connection of things to ancestors and people, and the history of the Torres Straits and Cairns are the foci of Janke’s novel. These features demonstrate how multiple perspectives of place and memory can

enrich the literary imagination and in turn, enlighten Australian readers to the historical past and present life of tropical North Queensland. ' (Publication abstact)

Making Space for Torres Strait Islander Expression Rhianna Patrick , 2021 single work essay
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , March 2021;

'Growing up on mainland Australia, I’ve struggled to find places where Torres Strait Islander stories are being told. I want to respectfully advocate for Torres Strait Islanders while acknowledging whose land I live on.'

Last amended 26 Sep 2019 15:22:13
Settings:
  • Thursday Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland,
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